(didn’t get to complete my rachity train of thought yesterday as I sit here blankly, trying to wake up with hot coffee)
“Maybe the phone stays dark” - as I resisted several urges on New Year’s Day to call my son (let him live his life!) or my friend Karen (I had already texted her to inform her I’d left my trailer hitched “just in case” she was able to ride Monday afternoon; if she wanted to ride or otherwise wanted to see you, the ball’s in her court!) My friend Toni had gone out of town for her surprise holiday trip (yes, I admit to mild jealousy as I traced her route on the map - she went to upstate Wisconsin; at some point I ought to visit my cousin in Milwaukee, he’s got a nice apartment just a couple of blocks off the shore of Lake Michigan).
Whom I did hear from (cruelly letting her calls go to voicemail bcz seriously, I’ve got enough problems & this is 100% on her!) is my friend/client who’s gotten herself in a sitch: last year she decided her neighborhood was untenable and moved to Bella Vista, Arkansas where she has an uncle and a couple of cousins. In our red-hot Texas real estate market, her home sold quickly & she was able to buy another, but she told a little white lie to her employer (she has been working remotely)… She gave them her friend’s-with-benefits address in Rockwall but now it seems the gig is up. I cocked an eyebrow at her in skepticism when she informed me of this game, and now should I be shocked and horrified that her deception has been uncovered? Now she’s got to job-hunt in the much smaller market of Northwestern Arkansas as a 47-year-old woman with a hopscotching employment history - she’s always looking for the next best thing. Thank goodness for her veteran’s disability supplement or she’d really be up a creek!
Now I’ve wasted another “coffee-time” session journaling about someone else’s problems instead of my own.
So here’s Silas after he figured out what that nice sand patch was good for!
Silas is handsome.
ReplyDeleteIn a continuation of your thoughts, I've ditched some 'friends'. Found some new ones. My world is much smaller but also more full.
There you go.
I can just see Silas rolling in the sand... he looks pleased with himself!
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time when my mother would call and natter on about her own problems when I had a boatload of my own, I just kept quiet and let her go on. Afterwards, my own didn't seem as bad. I hope that's the kind of reaction you get when you have written about someone else's issues... and it helps shrink your own.
(( hugs & waves of warm wishes ))
Oh yeah, it’s definitely a combination of misery-loving-company with a generous dash of “better you than I”!!!
DeleteAt least I am fortunate in that I’ll never have to worry about being “underemployed” - as we slogged through our busy day yesterday (we knew in advance that we wouldn’t have Dr M, so at least the schedule wasn’t double-booked!), I wondered if this was superior to last month’s unpleasant surprise - when I showed up to no Dr M - at least I didn’t have a chance to fret about it beforehand!?!
What is that old saying? - "A son is a son till he takes a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life." Not a fact, not 100% true, but society does had different expectations of men and woman. If men stay close to mommy too long they get a lot of grief from the world. You are doing the right thing. You are available when needed but not pushing yourself to be the third person in the marital bed.
ReplyDeleteEveryone I know has a more exciting life than me. I have learned to accept that. I tend to think the universe has a plan for me and I try to go with the flow and just float down the river instead of fighting the current while drowning myself. My outings are to medical appointments and to get food and pay bills. I have learned to appreciate little things.
Bella Vista, Arkansas is beautiful but totally different than life in a more populated area. Just like here. You can't have it all. Hopefully your friend can find a job.
Love Silas. I like sand too.
Speaking of "it's a small world after all" - when I was a young child (7 or 8?), I recall a family road trip to Bella Vista since my father was thinking about investing in real estate there. (He did not since it would've been too far to efficiently manage in those pre-Internet days) So when J gushes to me about how beautiful it is & how much I need to visit, I can say "I know!" but also no earthly way I can justify breaking free for a "girls' weekend"...
DeleteYour dad and my grandpa had something in common. My grandpa invested in real estate and owned a good chunk of land outside of Branson, Missouri and planned on retiring there. While it is a beautiful, fun place, I would have never move there. I'm sure Branson changed a lot from when he bought the land and from even when I went there. When I went Benny was offered a job as a black powder marksman at Silver Dollar City after he played one of their games. Of course it was seasonal work back then. An easy way to starve to death. No area is perfect but where you live, Val, has one of the best medical establishments in the nation nearby. That is a hard perk to beat in my opinion. Probably okay weather and good shopping too. Lots of other pluses, I'm sure. Like good jobs. That is one reason I finally chose not to move away from here. You give up something you know to get "who knows what".
DeleteWe also pass a huge mobile home park on the northern outskirts of the Metroplex when traveling up to Bonham (NE Texas approaching the OK border) to visit family over the years... My dad commented innumerable times how he missed an opportunity to invest in that property, which I'm sure is now worth a princely sum!
DeleteI have never been to Branson but my folks went years ago with my cousin & his wife, kind of a "Hillbilly Las Vegas" vibe ;-)
Branson was ahead of it's time in the hillbilly venue. Silver Dollar City was a huge draw as were the lakes. Very scenic. The road to Silver Dollar City gave both hubby and me some jitters as it has a scary overlook. Lots of crafting. Mostly country entertainment. Country music. Sort of like Hee Haw. It is a tourist trap. Our favorite things were the lakes and the Ralph Foster Museum, south of Branson. The cabin we stayed in. We both loved the museum. Not thrilled with the humongous snake that sat in front of our cabin.
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